Veikon Kone problems

[raamv]

your safest bet is not to make any assumptions.

I guess that this was the fundamental problem of the OP...Making an assumption on how it must or should or would or could work instead of finding out how it exactly is according to the law and the store etc etc.
This issue is the same when we have been mentioning "understanding the local culture"...which includes things like these..and the numerous other things that everyone (the locals or the one who has been indoctrinated) knows but no one tells you!!

[tissot]

Well yes, they don't need to give your money back once you have ordered and paid.
Verkkokauppa and Stockmann are the black sheep in the lot that they give full money back!!
and Gigantti is worse

I do buy alot of stuff from Verkkokauppa.com and they really do rock with the return policy cant really think anything that they could do better. I mostly avoid Stockmann when i'm buying anything expensive(it often helps when the prices are high for the start already ) other than clothes thought i have droped to that Gigantti trap couple of times and will not be touching any of their products ever again.

[raamv]

I do buy alot of stuff from Verkkokauppa.com and they really do rock with the return policy cant really think anything that they could do better. I mostly avoid Stockmann when i'm buying anything expensive(it often helps when the prices are high for the start already ) other than clothes thought i have droped to that Gigantti trap couple of times and will not be touching any of their products ever again.

Yep Gigantti and Musta Pörssi are pretty much "everybody knows" traps.. But many still go n buy from there..

[karel]

We've bought a lot of stuff from Gigantti, for the lowest price. And I've found they have great service.
Maybe it differs per Gigantti. The one in Suomenoja is great.

[Tiwaz]

We've bought a lot of stuff from Gigantti, for the lowest price. And I've found they have great service.
Maybe it differs per Gigantti. The one in Suomenoja is great.

Depends on what you buy. Gigantti is good for buying stuff which is not made by Gigantti. We bought our TV and washer/dryer set from there. No major problems there.

But my nephew, against my warning, purhcased his computer from there. And then comes to complain how it keeps crashing.

I rip open the case and see cheaply built computer of minimal proportions, stacked full of stuff so that air currents are as blocked as possible.

Ended up telling that because they did not take my advice, they should keep the case open and have tablefan blowing air into it. And so for a long time they had tablefan as extra cooler for computer and there was far less crashing.

[debonaire]

I do buy alot of stuff from Verkkokauppa.com and they really do rock with the return policy cant really think anything that they could do better. I mostly avoid Stockmann when i'm buying anything expensive(it often helps when the prices are high for the start already ) other than clothes thought i have droped to that Gigantti trap couple of times and will not be touching any of their products ever again.

Yep Gigantti and Musta Pörssi are pretty much "everybody knows" traps.. But many still go n buy from there..

I have bought quite many products from Mustä Pörssi and haven't had any problems so far...Infact,their service has been relatively far better in comparison to Gigantti,Expert and Tekniset...Moreover,I have always got a great bargain from Mustä Pörssi,which not only included a 10-15% reduction on already discounted price but also free installation,free home delivery and taking back the old appliances without any charge...And there is always someone to explain the finer points of the various products in English...So based on my experience so far,I would rather trust Mustä pörssi as opposed to trusting gigantti,Expert or Tekniset...

[network_engineer]

Regarding return policies, we too learned the hard-way, from Lasten Tarvike. We bought a pram, bassinet and a car seat from them, and we fell for the the rather aggressive-sweet sales pitch, i.e. last few pieces in stock from 2007, only difference to 2008 was colour etc.

Very soon we realised that items of similar quality and better colour and 2008, especially the car seat was at least 50%, if not 70% cheaper at other locations. We called back and they said they had no return policy, even though the item was unopened - i.e. in its original packing. Not even the cardboard was opened. At €300, that was an expensive lesson.

Now, I make it a point to ask (after all the sales pitch etc., when I think I've let them know that I am really interested and just about to hand over my income) about their return/repair policies etc. right before handing over my credit card, and if the answer is not to my satisfaction, I walk - simple as that.

So, yes, in that sense, I was committed to buying, I was going to buy it, but then changed my mind, a second before, simply because I had a right to - like they have a right to no returns policies.

But a question on this topic: What is the policy? Do they have to display a policy or no? In the US, e.g. if they don't have a refund policy, there is a rather prominent statement saying so. Should they not have something displayed here? I've seen a lot of shops that do display it rather prominently here too, i.e. fourteen days with receipt etc.

Kind regards.

[sammy]

But a question on this topic: What is the policy? Do they have to display a policy or no? In the US, e.g. if they don't have a refund policy, there is a rather prominent statement saying so. Should they not have something displayed here? I've seen a lot of shops that do display it rather prominently here too, i.e. fourteen days with receipt etc.

In the US, do they also have a sticker in condom packages saying "do not use as chewing gum" - or even "do not swallow"?

IIRC the shops have no obligation to have huge displays concerning customer rights, including return policies, on their walls. Some shops may however choose to "advertise" their return policy - for example the 14-day receipt thingy you mentioned, or if there are items available at reduced ("ale") prices there may be a sign saying that they can not be returned (or exchanged, this especially with garments). And those shops that DO offer a full return / refund policy usually display that.

In most shops, the tradition (in the famous "things that everyone knows" category - could also be called "cultural common sense") is that if you decide to buy something, you most probably are happy with the product and unless the product is defective, you should not expect a full refund.

Just a thought - I can sort of see why you folks are unhappy with this sort of "customer service", of course it's NICE if you can shop for items and then take them back to the shop if you change your mind - however I've never had any qualms about the "no defect - no refund" policy. Perhaps it is partly because I've never been rich enough to indulge in heat-of-the-moment / ex tempore shopping for "expensive" items, I've grown accustomed to thinking, comparing prices, researching alternatives before buying. Maybe this has resulted in me having little if any experiences of "bad buy". Just me & my personal 2 cents...

[network_engineer]

never been rich enough to indulge in heat-of-the-moment / ex tempore shopping for "expensive" items

Hardly the question of rich, come to think of it, rich - definitely not. More like in-experienced especially around children's / kids stuff, since it's the first one and still on the way. We are getting wiser all the time though.

Although LastenTarvike - closed for good on my list of places to buy.

[sammy]

Some advice on consumer sales & buyers' legal rights here - http://www.kuluttajavirasto.fi/

A sale is an agreement – it usually can’t be cancelled

Legally, the purchase of a product or service signifies the making of a contract. Neither party can unilaterally vary a contract. This means that you cannot simply back out of a purchase agreement you have made, even though you subsequently regret having made it.

A consumer can only return a defect free product and get the purchase price refunded if the seller agrees. In this case the seller can, if he so wishes, demand reasonable compensation, in other words a so-called cancellation charge. If a consumer is unsure about the suitability of the purchase, it is best to try to purchase the product on approval, and ask for this to be marked on the receipt.

Many shops and department stores offer consumers the right to exchange or return products. This is a non-obligatory customer service on their behalf, and the shop itself can set the conditions for returning products.

Btw - shouldn't that be "even though you MAY subsequently regret having made it"?

[sammy]

never been rich enough to indulge in heat-of-the-moment / ex tempore shopping for "expensive" items

Hardly the question of rich, come to think of it, rich - definitely not.

Oh, sorry I didn't mean it that way ("you rich people") Was just thinking of what I usually do when I need/want to buy something that's even a bit expensive.

[Hank W.]

I remember in the "good old days when markka was money" I was looking for a DVD player as the "newfangledness" had gone and there were even DVDs for rent at the local video store. So I looked at models an "rich peoples" Kruunuradio was selling one "winner" model at 3990,- now on sale 3499,- Then I went to Veikon Kone and HOT side by side... Veikon Kone had it ovh 2799,- now on sale 2300,- and HOT had ovh 2499 now on sale 2300... then I decided to swing by markantalo and it was ovh 1099,-

So yes, same exact DVD player... so its not the stupid who asks but the one who pays.

[hanj]

it doesnt need to be the 'good old days when markka was money'

the situation you described still happens today....

[Hank W.]

I still have the same DVD player Yeah, I shop now for hardware stuff & tools... the same item can be 2-3x more expensive elsewhere... the "problem" is that gas also costs to drive around and then if you can keep in mind all the prices...

[hanj]

there's always the alternative of making a phone calls/website before you actually have to drive to those shops....

a few has commented that musta pörssi is good?...cant say that most of my experience with musta pörssi has been good....the sales people dont seem to know details of the things they're selling and they dont give a rat-a$$ when asked a few more questions than they think i should...maybe they have to live up to the black-market name...

also their price has always been more expensive than the others.....wonder if this has anything to do with the extra layer of purchasing procedure...